COLD WAVES OF COLOR -VA VOL 5 (rare UK Cold Wave 81-85) COMP CD

Blinding (not literally — this CD will NOT cause blindness if used properly) fifth volume of cold wave/minimal synth obscurities sourced from hard or impossible-to-find tapes originally issued in the early-mid 80s! Color Tapes again reveal a hitherto unheard slice of British garage cold wave recordings ranging from certifiable dancefloor aces to synth escape pods and integers between.

"A dead faithful go-to for vintage wave compilations in recent years, Color Tapes’ Cold Waves Of Color Volume 5 extends the cherry-picked selections of minimal and new wave with 11 more aces from the likes of Beserk In A Hayfield, Modern Art, Lives of Angels and Silicon Valley, and including a natty rarity by The Good Missionaries, post Alternative TV. All material this time spans 1981-1985… As with previous installments, Volume 5 impresses with its depth and quality of variety, sequencing crisp electronic dance tracks on the same page as grainy, melodic synth-pop and hard-working dubs in a way that makes total sense as both a historic education as well as a heavily satisfying, play-it-again record. On the front they add up Void’s punchy, bittersweet minimal wave jabber ‘Isotope' beside the soaring, romantic ‘tronics of 'Silent Sky' by Echophase and the supple swang of Beserk In A Hayfield, leading up to some real gems in The Lord’s warped chromatic wormhole 'Production Line,' and especially The Good Missionaries brooding beauty 'Bending A Border' [1981] which is pretty unmissable for fans of PiL or Officer! Flip over for more treats in the fluidly Chris Carter-esque electro dynamics of 'Continental Shift' by Echophase, a New Order-y turn from Lives of Angels, and the dubbed-out NRG-disco deviation of Modern Art ace, 'Colliding World'.” —Boomkat Product

"There is an edgy post-punk feel to much of the contents, with brutalist chunks hewn from affordable synths, but influences range from science-fiction, Depeche Mode and early electro to Bobby Orlando-style hi-NRG and rhythmic industrial. The music here originally existed on Gary Ramon’s early 80s Color Tapes imprint. Sometimes overviews of cassette-only labels focus on a preponderance of lo-fi, experimental recordings, but while Ramon explains the technical limitations in the sleevenotes, and the music is often pretty hermetic stuff, almost everything here is melodic and starkly handsome, and Denis Blackham’s remastering is impressive. The delight of releases such as this is seeing these unassuming ugly ducklings finally revealed in their mature plumage, rescued from tape and treated with dignity…” —Record Collector Magazine

"This collection takes a look at the sinister side of synth pop that we've come to term coldwave, as curated by the iconic Color Tapes label, who helped the genre rise to prominence through the early 1980s. Influenced by krautrock and industrial, it took its genre premise and fucked it up beyond compare, leading to artists such as Lives of Angels, Disintegrators and Stereo Machines. Those artists and many others make up the sneakily titled Cold Waves Of Color. Evil synths and evil beats." —Norman Records

•As well as all these audio treats from the Color Tapes archive—including one CD only bonus track—in the 16-page booklet you’ll also get a facsimile color reprint of the fourth issue of the Color Tape label’s fanzine, originally printed in 1985

Tracklist
1     –Void (91)     Isotope     
2     –Echophase     Silent Sky     
3     –Berserk In A Hayfield     Berserk     
4     –Silicon Valley (2)     Transit 6     
5     –The Lord (6)     Production Line     
6     –The Good Missionaries     Bending A Border (Dub Version)     
7     –Berserk In A Hayfield     August Haze     
8     –Echophase     Continental Shift     
9     –Lives Of Angels     Golden Age     
10     –Modern Art (2)     Colliding World     
11     –Lives Of Angels     Pavillion     
12     –Void (91)     Transvision (Remix)